Beck Diet For Life/Solution – July 2013 – Support, Discussion, Buddy/Coach
 

Welcome to the discussion group, support group, diet coach group, diet buddy group relating to the two books by Dr. Judith S. Beck:and the first bookThe Beck Diet Solution is a psychological program, not a food plan. It provides a step-by-step program to learn specific techniques to stay on our diet, lose weight, and maintain our weight loss for life. The program is based on Dr. Beck's clinical research in Cognitive Therapy (CT).

The Complete Beck Diet for Life expands the earlier work and includes a food plan with suggested menus. From the cover:This is a place to discuss the Beck strategies and our daily efforts, to receive and provide support, and, for some of us, is where we serve as on-line diet buddy (coach) to each other.

If you’ve arrived from a search engine, you’ve landed at the site of 3 Fat Chicks (3FC), a remarkable place for those interested in a healthy life style, including mindful eating, exercise, and weight loss. More about the site, including how to register so that you can post, can be found here.

The books are available on Amazon through the 3FC store by clicking their names above; buying through 3FC helps to cover the costs of running this site.

You can find the list of previous (or more current) monthly Beck threads here on 3 Fat Chicks via:

List of Monthly Beck Threads for Support, Discussion, Buddy/Coach

Monday - Canada Day
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Cheers to all our Canadian friends on Canada Day. Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, including chomping a few sugar snaps from the vine in our garden. There is no question in my mind that the Garden of Eden had sugar snaps. Was pleased that I had not a single nibble from the table of snacks at coffee hour in the morning - mostly manufactured stuff from packages but some homemade coffee cakes as well. My Sabotaging Thought was that the broken oatmeal raisin cookies would be OK to eat. Broken cookies reach down into my early childhood when cookies were being baked and any kids hanging around could snarf down the broken ones.

Expanding the mind exercise was the Samurai! exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts. The detail and quality of the armor greatly improved over the 250 year period of peace when it was used for ceremonial purposes only. Body exercise was weeding our small community garden. Ouch! Weeding begins to feel repetitive after just a few minutes. All weeds begin to look alike. My back knows that I've done this.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – An encouraging thought, "... since a few other good habits seem to be coming along for the ride." Kudos for 1000 minutes even while still dreaming of Paris.

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Hats off to the amount of walking it takes to run a restaurant - I'm impressed at a million steps. Yay for clothes fitting nicer.

Beth (bethFromDayton) – Neat to stake out your goal, "I'm committed to our vacation not being a setback for my weight loss." Kudos to your DD for helping by moving your half-burger to the unused table.

sparks17 – You've got me drooling for pignoli cookies - Super Kudos for those still being in the bag. LOL at, "hoping it will rain" as a strategy for dealing with that biergarten.

Readers -  

Good morning! Cool, showery and breezy here as we enter July.

_Bill_ Do you kneel down to weed? I use a kneeling mat and have found that my knnes and back thank me. Squatting is my second choice.

-GardenerJoy_ Thank you for the term "eating place". I'm still playing with it to see if it fits into my language but it's so much better for me than "eating seated" which is too clunky for me. Hmm, sleeping place, dwelling place, eating place. Maybe. "Designated eating place"? Possibly. Anyway, I'll join you in focussing on this for as many days as it takes.

Have a good week, all.

Good morning!!! Today's plan is reasonable, I exercised before breakfast and I am trying to enjoy some summer vacation...even though it is still raining!

I have a project this week - cleaning out my storage room. Not looking forward to the hard decisions. I am by nature a pack rat but I make myself go through our stuff twice a year so I stay on top of things. I want to plan to treat myself with food as a reward when I accomplish something difficult...so I am working on recognizing and neutralizing those sabotaging thoughts!!! And I have a different reward lined up. I read the first Game of Thrones book over the past few days and I am looking forward to finishing them all asap. But I can't just read them as I will get nothing done..so I will need to finish the storage room without ignoring my regular housework before I can start the next one. Very motivating!!

Another summer Monday, leaving me longing for another long weekend. At least I don't have to wait weeks for that.

Struggling this morning to NOT snack despite being food satisfied. Mom was taken to the ER by ambulance last night and I HATE living 16+ hour drive from parents at times like these. She was admitted and I'm hoping things improve steadily. I worry for my father, who is capable, but the caregiving is taxing, I know. I have reached into my desk drawer for Cinnamon Puffin cereal to eat dry, oh i don't know how many times this morning already.

Dinner with DH's folks went fine yesterday. Instead of a high-calorie dessert, I had a lot of miniature parfait cups with berries and sugar free/fat free pudding and whip cream - different ones and they loved them. Other dessert was I prepped chocolate cake batter and split it into miniature bundt cakes (about 4-5 bites each), mini muffin and other small rounds, etc., - will freeze the rest but used the mini bundts with conf sugar sprinkled on top and raspberries and they were beautiful and reasonable on calories (less than 100 for the mini cakes). Surprised at how many small cakes we got out of the batter. Did well at dinner; ordered appetizers that others loved but I don't like, which helps :)

Today we're lunching out for my boss' last week ... lots of food celebrations with this event.

Following our staff lunch, I've used all my calories for the day. I knew I could excel at something this week. I need a recommitment and a refocus and a realization that I can't fix other issues with food. And everyone else but me seems to understand this.

July Greetings!

I've been absent here--big projects cresting at work and lots of running about at home. I have actually retained my footing "on the board" and am down a couple of pounds.

I'm currently under the influence of a book I just read called "The Wheat Belly Diet" that discusses wheat and health issues. It seems to hit home for me on several fronts so I've been giving the eating plan an overhaul to see if it's worth the hassel.

So far I've been without any wheat products for 7 entire days. I guess since I was already limiting grains, it was easier to accomplish. I definitely feel less bloated and am having to eat more vegetables. So far, so good.

Enjoying Mycroft the Puppy [and thanking Heaven that I'm not putting on weight like he is!] and dipping into a fun summer book off the bestseller Kindle list: World War Z: an Oral History of the Zombie War.

Best to everyone here,

spanky

Hi all,

Day 3 of our vacation (yup, I'm checking in from Ft Worth, on vacation)--I got up this morning before DH and DS and took a nice 30 minute walk around the area our hotel is in. We only had two meals today and I stayed OP--even if I had a bit too much at both lunch and dinner. I need to be more careful with restaurant sized meals--I ordered smaller meals, but they were still bigger than I needed.

Tomorrow is Day 4--and the last day before our 4 day party starts. That will definitely be keeping me busy! We'll do much of the shopping for that tomorrow.

Take care, all!

Back from Ireland!
 

Hello Coaches,

I am finally home from Ireland! Obviously, I had no computer availability while there, so I have been missing in action at this group. Rather than trying to catch up with everything, I will just jump in to the July discussion. I had an absolutely wonderful vacation, but sure missed my family (DH and kids)! Quite a few very serious talks with my mom, which were long overdue. They have already gone a long way toward my healing journey and I think things will continue to improve for me. So in many ways, the vacation was life-changing for me! Very thankful for the opportunity to enjoy time with my mom and sisters and cousin, along with some very special friends in Ireland. I am happy to be home, but I will truly miss the Irish people (so incredibly friendly) and the breath-taking countryside. This trip was such a blessing and obviously meant to be. :)

I did not even take my Beck book or any other self-help books along on my vacation, but kept some of the Beck principles in mind. Eating was decent but unplanned, so I have to resume the practice of planning, which will be much easier while at home. We did a lot of walking while touring the Irish countryside and also got in a few planned walks, but not as much exercise as I had planned. Walked up a ton of steps (instead of taking the escalator) at the airport today. Our flight from Boston to Ohio was cancelled yesterday, so we were delayed one day in getting home, which I was really bummed about. The main thing is that I am home safely and soundly now, though! Thank God!

Beth: Enjoy YOUR vacation!!! Good for you for going with a PLAN!!!

Almost perfect on eating in my eating places -- so lots of credit for that. I accidentally licked some mustard off my hand, so there's still a little work to be done here. But I was pleased that entire swaths of bad ideas were killed with the thought "I don't eat in the car."

BillBlueEyes: Like, silverbirch, I developed a weeding technique over time to save my back. Mostly it involves never bending from the waist and changing positions every couple of minutes. For a long time, I used a gardening kneeler bench that I could sit on or kneel on or use as a support for squats and lunges. Now, with all my winter workouts, I finally got strong enough that I can squat and lunge for weeding unless I'm doing it for an extended period.

nationalparker: I just spent most of a month trying to fix jet-lag with food. That's the second time I've tried it and it still didn't work. What is working is focusing on one good habit. And then I'll work on another one.

IBelieveinMe2: yay for a wonderful trip to Ireland (that was my trip last year).

bethFromDayton: good for you for reporting in -- it seems to be helping!

spanky: glad to see you back and reading and enjoying the puppy!

sparks17: I love a reading reward -- what a great idea!

Hi there coaches,
I am getting back into my groove...feels great. The time change going TO Hawaii but coming home was another story! I did water aerobics twice today...kudoses to me :) I ate OP and got a bunch of stuff in my pile of undesirable tasks completed. I am hoping that the scale shows something closer to the number that it indicated before the vaycay.

So...tips for vacation and staying OP...next time I will solidify my plan before leaving of reading my cards before meals, split meals with someone or eat only half of the deliciousness even if, gulp, the other half would be thrown away and drink even more waternthan I do at home.

We are having a heat wave out here this week. Love sunny weather but do not have ac since it is pricey and really only needed a few days out of the year....lots of managing windows being open and blinds going down to block direct sunlight and FANS.....lots of fans...

Looking forward to dd having a friend overnight tomorrow night..she is getting cabin fever!!!!

Cool planned snack that I had tonight: popcorn popped in coconut oil and with some black lava Hawaian sea salt on it...YUM!!!!

Tuesday
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – One major event was picking up DW's car at last. She's pleased. It's gonna take some getting used to with a door that just unlocks when you grab it because the key pod is in your pocket. And locks when you touch it for the same reason. I took an apple from their fruit bowl to eat while reading the thick stack of manuals for my afternoon snack. Fed my lust for FREE food in a useful manner, CREDIT moi.

Second major event was joining maryann and her DS for dinner in Boston last night as she's out here to pick up her diploma in Vermont. Even though she has a freshly minted MFA, she let me call her Maryann, LOL. DS is a sixth grader with a remarkable comfort around adults. I pretended that I was Paleo and had beef brisket - a favorite that I don't often get - leaving the bun, CREDIT moi, and having salad instead of fries. These minor changes help to disguise that brisket has a zillion calories.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Kudos for continuing to use your neat line, "I don't eat in the car." [Thanks for the reminder that I can think of weeding as doing squats instead of serving time in h*ll, LOL.]

silverbirch – And good morning to Great Britain. [I didn't bring a kneeler or weeding bench which would have helped. I'm thinking about buying a Korean ho-mi hoe by my standard thinking that a new tool is the right approach to any task, LOL.]

spanky - Congrats for seven days on your path to have no wheat - hope it works for you. LOL at the rate a puppy gains weight - all of it muscle!

nationalparker – Sending supportive thoughts for your mom's health and the angst that goes with that. Thanks for "I can't fix other issues with food" since I'm perfectly capable of forgetting that.

Beth (bethFromDayton) – Waving back toward Ft Worth. Kudos for ordering small meals in the face of restaurant's huge portions.

IBelieveInMe2 – Welcome back from Ireland. Monster Kudos for having those lifetime serious talks with you mom.

Rosebud170 – This thought is noble, but remains a challenge for me, "eat only half of the deliciousness even if, gulp, the other half would be thrown away."

sparks17 – "Game of Thrones" is a cool reward instead of food, Kudos. I shudder at the mention of examining stored stuff since I've got loads.

Readers -

Hi Coaches!

I was OP yesterday and just as I walked in the door from work my phone rang...mom..."can you come over right now?" She had fallen and had dented her head, but other than alot of blood she seemed fine. It took a bit to clean up and head to the store for butterfly strips...we decided better than 1/2 the night at ER, although it could have probably benefitted from a few stitches. It was not a reason to put a food glitch in an already successful day. credit. I let dh have his pizza and I ate light. I need to head over before work for a forehead check in but it's also important to check in here.

BBE & Maryann, glad you enjoyed your dinner meetup!

I've gotta look at that ho-mei ho...later....lol

Bill - what about a mattock? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattock

Gardenerjoy - v impressed with your eating places success! I am not doing very well.

My eating choices weren't good yesterday. Today = Day 1, Take 185. I weighed to see how it's trending and yowsers... food choices/portions and other reasons have me up a bit more. Earlier, two aspects of eating enabled me to be successful in weight loss - 1) eating until I was no longer hungry, and 2) cutting most snacks - they just weren't an option because rarely was I truly hungry. That is my goal for today. Those two small steps. Resetting my ticker/sig on Saturday as I'm feeling like a fraud, waiting to get back down there!

Lexxiss - Sounds like you handled a scary situation well. Never a phone call that you want to get, nor a scene you want to come in to. Hope she improves rapidly from the accident!

Welcome back, OneByOne!! Question for our Ireland travelers: I'd love to go ... but I have always viewed Ireland as a country whose main allure was the small town pubs (why is that I wonder?) and as non-drinkers, what are the top things to NOT miss? I'd love to start planning that for a trip. I know I want to take the ferry to/from Liverpool/Dublin for the tacky Beatles tour as something fun... would love suggestions either here or PM. It wouldn't be for this year, but DH is getting irritated that I just keep wanting to go back to Italy, and thought, hm...maybe we save up for Ireland instead :) We both want to go to France, to go to Normandy for the WWII aspect.

Bill - Excited at the arrival of the new car for you and your wife. I am a key lover and stress when we don't have a key for a rental car... be careful to not have the fob in YOUR pocket and get dropped off somewhere as she won't be able to restart the car when she stops at her destination. I'm sure everyone else knows this but ... just in case not :) Not saying it HAPPENED, but ...

Hey. I have some computer issues so I may not be on much till the weekend when my husband will have time to reformat/whatever techy stuff is needed. I am using his computer right now..

I had a good day - it was super hot, though! I worked on my storage stuff for almost five hours and made so many decisions my brain is tired....and I am so glad that I saved room for a Mike's Hard Lemonade! I am really looking forward to it!

Yay! I had a good day of eating only in my eating places. And I'm giving myself a bookworm sticker for reporting here -- which I intend to do daily this month.

BillBlueEyes and silverbirch: Both of those tools look great, but I think I'd go for the Korean hoe because that mattock looks heavy. Although, with our clay soil, maybe that is exactly what I need.

BillBlueEyes and maryann: so cool that you got to meet for real! I wasn't sure if that was possible in our space-time continuum.

Lexxiss: hope your mother is well after that misadventure.

nationalparker: I'm kind of embarrassed to say that I never stepped foot in a pub in Ireland. We ate in cafes and nice restaurants, visited gardens and museums, took the hop on - hop off bus tour in Dublin. I understand that the pubs in Ireland and the UK are as much for eating as drinking, so you'd be just fine ordering lunch and a cup of tea.

sparks17: great job on your cleaning and organizing project!

Hi all!

Got up and went for a morning walk--I'll do it again tomorrow before it gets too hot.

Food was OP: DH had seen a salad restaurant, which made for a great lunch. A group of us went to UNO's for dinner, but I ordered a salad first--and so was satisfied with just 1/4 of an individual pizza. YAY for satisfying my desire for chicago pizza and staying on track at the same time!

We started shopping for the mega party--and I managed to get through Sam's Club without taking a single sample. More shopping tomorrow and then the party starts. I'll be reading my response cards often.

Lots of people here who I haven't seen in a year--last year at this time, I was at my high weight of 235--many people are noticing the change--others either aren't noticing or aren't saying anything :-). Either way is okay!

Take care, all!

Wednesday
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – My dental hygienist gave me a gentler lecture about flossing this time, CREDIT moi. Although I just remembered that "better than other visits" is somewhat like "Most Improved Handwriting" in grade school, LOL. I like getting her earliest appointment so that I arrive after an early morning wake up walk. Gym was gym for exercise.

Food was on plan, CREDIT moi, without much temptation since I didn't eat a bite away from the house. Spent more time reading about the immobilizer system on DW's new car. There are numerous ways to fool it. BAD: If you leave the fob in the pocket of the driver's door, it will appear to be outside to the 'system' when you exit the car so that it'll allow you to lock the fob inside. GOOD: If you attempt to lock the trunk with the fob inside when all four doors are locked, it'll sound the alarm for five seconds to warm you to remove it. BAD: If you have the fob in your pocket and hang around the car for a long time - say, sitting in a lawn chair watching fireworks at the beach - the car and fob will chat the entire time wondering when you'll want to open the door so that the fob battery and possible the car's 12 volt battery will be dead. BAD: When traveling down the road a splash of water might unlock all the doors since the 'system' thinks you are outside trying to get in (at 65 miles per hour) and then, when no one opens the door for 60 seconds, it relocks the doors out of impatience with your indecision. It goes on and on. I feel like Princess Dianna with an extra person in this marriage.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Yay for "a bookworm sticker" reward. I still like stickers and don't think they should be exclusively for kids.

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Ouch - hope your mom's forehead is recovering. Kudos for figuring out that playing surgeon with butterfly bandages is more healthy than an evening in ER where all the germs live.

silverbirch – <sigh> . . . Let me explain this as gently as I can. I own a mattock - it's for serious work. I'm facing a new task. I'm male. The first step is to refocus all energy toward buying a tool that I don't have that will make the new task disappear. It should be expensive - particularly useful if we have to budget to buy the tool and the task has to wait for money to accumulate. (Local stores sell mattocks for cheap.) Don't you have males in the U.K., LOL?

nationalparker – Kudos for focusing on small steps. "no longer hungry" is such a big idea - associating eating with hunger instead of sight, smell, and taste. [Thanks for the intra-spouse fob warning where the fob exits with the spouse then the car drives away; that very thing happened to a couple we know - recovery was painful.]

Beth (bethFromDayton) – OP through "UNO's for dinner" is worthy of Kudos. And Sam's Club without a single sample of FREE food gets my admiration.

sparks17 – 300 Kudos for 300 minutes of working on stored stuff. Hope your computer recovers.

Readers -  

Good afternoon. A better day yesterday after I posted, and an excellent day today so far. Space has opened up, it seems, and that means I can stop eating on the run as I prepare meals and eat what I put on my plate, eating nicely at the table. Phew. I'm going to work hard on making this part of my life again.

Bill, clearly this is a can of worms which had better not be opened up on this site. Let me just say that I think all this gender business is over-played. I'm the user and cleaner of tools in our household (the DB is coming up fast behind but the SO is uninterested). And I'm the one who acquires them too. People give them to me and we've only got a small house. I have taken myself in hand and refused almost all imperial spanners as Britain is mostly metric nowadays and I've got enough imperial ones to take me to kingdom come. You go for that Korean thing, if you've got space. Just keep it clean and oiled. The DB and I are considering making raised beds this summer.

Beth, I'm starting to understand what a 'party animal' is now. I just couldn't do it. Do you know these people or most of them? Are some strangers? Anyway, I do like how you've recruited your family to remind you about food, etc so discretely.

Hello! Last full day of work before the holiday weekend, and I'm taking off Friday and plan to fully relax. :) Well, that and continue work on this stone garden wall/border. I had aimed to have it done by this weekend, so we'll see how close I get to that. Now I'm getting lazy and frustrated with the project since I'm struggling with the next step.

We're doing our bbq tonight, I suppose, since DH has to work the next four nights. Maybe tomorrow at lunch, as well, with a little repeat. So i'm going to be alone for many meals and need to take this time to get myself reset on program. Dinner last night was homemade turkey pot pie with subbed ingredients and a little white wine in there and boy, it came out delish. I love trying a new recipe and altering it a bit and finding a success. I ate more than I needed to, but didn't leave the table full.

Mom is still in hospital and will be there a little longer; not sure how things will shake out when test results come back. Family is saying for me to wait to come down there (Florida) for awhile, when help is needed more. I can understand that. Why have everyone there at once, instead of spread out a bit. But I still want to be there.

Beth - kudos on sticking to a quarter of their individual pizzas at Unos! I was shocked when I saw their calories and it was close to 1,800 for a "single" ... I got mad then, thinking REALLY? Work folks used to lunch there and I'd order the individual and eat part one day and the rest another day, but still be getting more than I suspected I was getting. Good to split it up.

GardenerJoy - I'm glad to hear that pubs aren't central to enjoying Ireland. We were getting fairly good prices on flights to Ireland last year, but haven't progressed on any planning/dreaming there. This year was to be the year we did some updates on the house (wood trim repaired, painting interior and some exterior), but haven't done that yet, either! Halfway through and need to get a move on.

Bill - Thanks for the tips on the fob - good to know as we rent cars with that system and I just don't like it. DH says I need to move with the times. I want a key and lock and ignition slot. I don't want it beeping at me. I am the same person who turns the tv on/off at the tv and adjusts the volume at the tv, too, which others view as insane. To me, looking around for a remote instead of walking to the tv to adjust the volume is rather odd.

Hi everyone!

This is day 4 of vacation--and the first day of the major party part of it. I had lots of helpers and got all of the food put out by 4:00, when we said we were opening our doors. I had to work at it, but I didn't have a single sweet treat.

My 30 minute morning walk turned into 40 minutes based on when I turned around--I felt energetic and pleased with myself for getting my walk in before the day really started.

My afternoon snack was a nectarine, a few crackers, a few pieces of cheese, and a slice of summer sausage. If you saw what was out there to be eaten, you'd consider that a serious major victory!

My meals have all been OP, too.

Now I have to get through the evening. I'm allowing myself to eat at or close to maintenance range for the next 4 days--I won't lose any weight, but if I don't gain any, that will be a major accomplishment. Since I totally lost control at the last big event, it's reassuring to know that I'm already doing better!

I'm going to re-read my response cards and then head to the next room for the party!

(silverbirch, this group is a Party Special Interest Group of a larger organization--and I actually have been given shirts that label as a Party Animal)

Take care, all!

I was almost perfect again on eating only in my eating places. I swear I used to be able to get through the day without absent-mindedly licking my fingers. I'll get there again.

That's going well enough that it's time to add back another habit of my healthy lifestyle -- it's time to quit eating foods that I know don't work well. I like to think that my food plan allows me to eat all foods. If I count special occasions, I suppose it does. I could work with this philosophy: I only eat baguettes in France. At home, though, the only thing I get from white bread is a craving for more white bread. White bread needs to be as rare in my life as trips to France. So it's time to cut out that and some of the other things I've been eating as if I didn't know that they cause problems.

So, starting right now, I'm aiming for these two habits:

• eat only in my eating places
• eat only foods that serve me well

A second check-in!!

End of day 1 of the 4 day mega-party. I only read my response cards once (but i'm going to read them again before bed). I kept completely to my treat plan--one treat per hour--and only had 3 treats. I just didn't want the others. After the first treat, I wanted cookies. I saw them. I wanted them. I managed to tell myself "you can have a cookie in an hour for your next snack"--and I waited!!!!

I'm feeling really pleased with myself, and success breeds success, so I'm reminding myself that doing it once means that I CAN do it--and that my follow-my-plan muscle will be even stronger tomorrow!

G'night

Wednesday - U. S. Independence Day
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Walked with DW for the last hour of dwindling light ending in the dark, CREDIT moi - that wonderful period before the stars come out when you look west and see one shining planet chasing the sunset. I drove her new car without a key or fob or anything! The car knew that she was standing by the passenger door and let me open all four doors using the magic handshake. It then knew that she was in the passenger seat and let me start the car and drive. Now that's frightening! I felt naked. Had she abandoned me in mid walk, I wouldn't have had access to the car.

Food was on plan, CREDIT moi. I'm mostly having strawberries and blueberries for snacks. At Trader Joe's, I did have a FREE sample of hot apple pie with ice cream. I could have dessert every day if it were served in a one ounce dish. I savored its full joy and didn't want more.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – I like this, "I only eat baguettes in France." White bread is an entry drug for me.

silverbirch – Yay for the tranquility that allows you to "stop eating on the run." [I dream of the day that I don't have to own both English and Metric spanners ('wrenches' in my basement) particularly since there's little warning which is required. Thanks for crescent wrenches.]

nationalparker – Kudos for "but didn't leave the table full" - such a nice step along the path. [I'm also not fond of the car beeping all the time. What about arriving home late at night and not wishing to wake the family just because you lock the car? I bet teenagers with curfews have solved that last question, LOL.]

Beth (bethFromDayton) – Super Kudos for "I managed to tell myself "you can have a cookie in an hour for your next snack"--and I waited!!!!" Terrific idea to plan one snack per hour so you can do that.

Readers -  

Happy Independence Day to all you Americans. I'm gathering that this is a pretty big day for you ...

A great day yesterday as I only ate in the designated areas and not at the counter. I'm putting the food onto a larger plate which allows it to spread out and look delicious and sufficient. I used to use a smallish bowl for the same amount of food ("I'm only eating a little bit!") but without the visual stimulation.

Bill, be prepared for DW's car to make an awful beep when fuel is running lowish. Also if you're listening to the radio and go past a speed camera. These things may not happen to you but it's good to be prepared. The second, at least, can be dealt with.

Computer up and running - check! Much planning for July 4th....check!! We are celebrating my youngest nephew's birthday as well today. I so want to say that I can just take the day off, that it is a holiday, that I can have two pieces of ice cream cake and whatever else looks good and just relax!!

So I am doing the 7 questions. First - which Thinking errors?

Overly Positive Fortune Telling. Emotional Reasoning. Self Deluding Thinking. Justification.

OK. Going over Day 27, thinking through everything...what will help me most is replacing all of my sabotaging thoughts with I WOULD RATHER BE THIN! I want to stay fitting in my smaller clothing. I want to keep the higher energy and stamina. The food won't even be that great - hero sandwiches, not a bbq. So not really worth overdoing it. One piece of ice cream cake is more than enough - two won't make me twice as happy, only pile twice as many unnecessary calories and carbs on me.

I am making a card just for today to keep in my pocket, as my pile of cards is too big. It usually sits on my desk where I see it several times a day, but it is too bulky now to fit in my pocket!

I will not have chips or cookies or anything small and snacky. I will have a hero, probably a half if they are bigger than 6", salad and fruit (I am bringing these myself) and one piece of ice cream cake.

I WOULD RATHER BE THIN!

Happy Fourth! I'm looking forward to a relaxing evening; having had a productive day already. Slept in and piddled around the house with some chores; then we mowed the lawn, trimmed, bbq'd turkey burgers for an early dinner as DH works tonight. I'm staying home with the pets - fireworks are already randomly popping and our dog is snuggled up next to my leg. I was going to give her a trim/bath but I figure I won't stress her out extra today.

Last night we ate dinner on the patio and stayed out there after cleaning the kitchen, looking at the stars, listening to music and just relaxing. Finally went to bed at 1 a.m. and DH wanted to stay out longer and fell asleep out there (I knew he would but he was trying to stay up late as he's working nights now) ... Peaceful evening with candles lit all over and fireworks off in the distance.

Mom is still in hospital- I'm hoping she's released tomorrow, but I think it might be another day or two. I talk to her for a few minutes each evening, but try not to tire her out. Even holding the phone to her ear wears her out.

Food has been okay so far today. Skipped lunch, so early dinner means I need to stay vigilant for snacking. DH made homemade ice cream yesterday and as a favor to me, he swapped part of the half and half for 1% milk ... so now it's a tub of SOLID ROCK HARD ice cream... tastes good - but it's really like the old ice milk we used to buy 20 years ago ... getting a spoon of it out is too much work for me. I feel bad, as ice cream isn't my thing, and he LOVES it, so it's not as delish for him... but had it been soft and creamy, it would have disappeared way too quickly. I think this tub will be around for ages. :) I'll look around for a recipe that makes four servings. That's do-able.

Rambling check in here - sorry. Will repost tonight with a successful note that I staved off snacking! Goal!

I did it -- ate only in my eating places and ate only foods that served me well. I feel like my baby steps are starting to add up to something that resembles a healthy lifestyle again.

Congrats on the eating places, gardenerjoy!

Today was a mixed day for me--successful lunch, including passing up the carrot cake. Successful afternoon snack. Too much dinner :-(. I didn't pace my evening party snacking as well as I did yesterday, but still did much better than I've done in the past. I didn't read my response cards during the evening, though, but I should have.

Tomorrow is a day where I can improve!

Friday
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Exercise was weeding our community garden, CREDIT moi. As I harvested the last sugar snaps, DW pulled out the dying vines to allow more sun on the tomato plants. For weeding, DW showed me the narrow hoe from our very own basement; just the feature that drew me to the Korean ho-mi tool. It worked as I had hoped which, unfortunately, means that I don't get to buy an expensive new tool. But I still had to squat and sort out the weeds from the pulled up dirt. Our grass grows roots that are deep and can travel a foot laterally. DW snorted a bit because real gardeners kneel in the dirt to take each weed personally. Also did gym, welcoming the cool place. Saw last night's fireworks from a local high spot without having to join the crowds at the Charles River.

Eating was exactly as planned, CREDIT moi, with a calorie surprise. When set out on an emergency walk to fetch a green Bell Pepper, I discovered small containers of Italian Ice in the spontaneous purchase spot at the checkout. What could be better for a hot evening than ice? Dinner on the patio was our Fourth of July favorite pasta salad and deviled eggs (with Dill added this year, Yum). Then the cooling Italian Ice. Great idea! Until I read the label after dinner - those small suckers carry 250 calories of ice. That's some heavy ice, LOL. I'm really bummed; I thought I had found the secret of desserts. My advice of the day: read the label. <blush>


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Those are two big "baby steps" - Kudos.

silverbirch – Neat idea to use the larger plate to spread out the food instead of the usually recommended smaller plate to keep us from serving larger portions. [Thanks for the reminder that there're more beeps to discover.]

nationalparker – Sounds like a good Fourth - fireworks then stars. Hope your mother improves and gets released. Ouch for "SOLID ROCK HARD ice cream" - except as a deterrent to dipping in an unplanned spoon.

Beth (bethFromDayton) – Hope you continue to do well at your extravaganza. Passing up carrot cake is Kudos worthy since our brains can get tricked by the goodness of 'carrot.'

sparks17 – Kudos for some serious planning for the Fourth of July celebration/nephew's birthday, especially the 7 Questions Technique. I love the visual, "I will not have ... anything small and snacky."

Readers -  

Hi Coaches!

I've been busy...we brought mom with us after her fall and I need to be a bit more attentive to her over here. Her forehead is healing nicely and she enjoyed the pool, too.
Food wise, I've been very mindful. Op choices and another successful night at our fav Mexican restaurant where I was the only one who practiced any restraint. Credit. Our holiday treats were watermelon and fresh picked raspberries....I was reminded of so many changes from the "good ol days"

Take care everyone. We travel this afternoon.

TGIF - thankful that I've taken the day off. I have needed to recharge mentally and think the time "alone" while DH is sleeping from working nights is key. Landscaping is sitting idle until late afternoon, I suspect. Plans include laundry, library and a matinee movie alone. Will stop at Trader Joe's for parmesan for a linguini dish in a few days. My mom should be released this afternoon, so I'd like to send flowers there tomorrow morning - make sure someone is home to receive delivery.

I was afraid that I'd give in and eat the "missing" meal yesterday, but realize that I didn't need it and had eaten enough calories anyway. Credit on that.

Bill - Thank you for the post today on Credit. I have not done that in weeks. Clearly being an imposter on the Becks site here. All I seem to see are the poor choices and inactivity, instead of the small steps forward. Ouch on the Italian Ice... I feel your pain.

Beth - Sounds like you're amassing the Credits left and right, and only one meal of too much among all of the temptations you're surrounded with, is amazing. Are you seeing people who haven't seen you in a while? If so, are you getting great feedback on your progress?

Lexxiss - Safe travels today! Your watermelon and berries sounds wonderful. I will pick up some watermelon today - it slipped my mind. Hoping for continued good progress for your mom.

GardenerJoy - Great job for the incremental steps and for recognizing that it's guiding you back to your goals! Had you said you were reading Nourishing Traditions? I got the suggestion on this forum, and have checked it out, but struggle with accepting the thoughts as valid and not based in accurate science. I need to figure out how to "vet" some of the statements as fact or not. I have been trying to cut out "fake" foods like margarine and turning to olive oil instead, and choose to not eat beef/pork for other reasons than health. I need to check your blog out to see if you have reviewed it!

Greetings,

Really. Everyone seems to be doing well this week-it makes me happy to see!

Oddly, my wheat free stretch continues. I've found bean chips for dipping, and had already made a habit of using romaine leaves in place of bread for roll ups and sandwich wraps. It's truly nice to be free of the deep, frantic cravings for some of the stuff I'd felt helpless around in the past. HOPING this trend continues!

Our house was a major Stress Zone on the 4th. :yikes: Only Mycroft the Puppy seemed unfazed by the fireworks. The three other dogs were wrapped in their Thunder Shirts and hiding in the bed with my husband. All the intense noise went on until after midnight--DH and DS both get anxious too. Wondering about Thunder Shirts for humans....just glad it's over for another year.

Painting in the beach trailer we're desperate to sell. Watching Mycroft take on a beach ball. Planning grilled chicken and veg-k-bobs for tonight.

Onward, spanks

Three credits for:

• eating in my eating places
• eating foods that work well for me
• getting out of bed to write my report here when I realized I'd forgotten

Tomorrow will be a challenge with a family gathering that's part business meeting , part holiday party. This confuses my social skills and can lead to eating at odd moments, in odd places, and odd foods. But we're bringing stuff we can eat, so there should be plenty of food even if I ignore what doesn't work well for me, and I'll be careful about eating only while seated.

nationalparker: I was not the one who recommended Nourishing Traditions, but I have looked at it a couple of times and had the same response you did. I felt like I needed to verify everything. I don't have that response with other books, so I got frustrated and gave up on it. I wanted to like it more than I did.

Hi all.

Successful walk. Successful lunch. Snacking and snacking and no dinner--not so successful. I'm still doing so much better than I've done at any other gathering like this, so I'm counting it as progress.

Late night, though, and I'm ready for bed!

:wave: Didn't manage to get here yesterday as I fell asleep after a stressful time. This meant I woke, woozy and hungry, and ate a few oatcakes at the counter. Couldn't trust myself to sit down again but needed food. (Shakiness means that in my body usually.)

I'm looking forward to a better day today with time in the garden. And the sun is out!

Have a good day, everyone!

Saturday
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Spent long hours updating the AntiVirus software on my computer. My subscription needed renewal so I took the opportunity to switch brands - sorta like a divorce with instant remarriage. Naturally, the new brand found some more marketing stuff hiding in the dark so now my computer runs like new again. Such a first world problem. CREDIT moi for taking care of those things that need attending.

Food was on plan, CREDIT moi, with blueberries and strawberries providing the sweets for the day. Dinner on the patio was delayed until it got cool enough to sit comfortably. I gave myself permission to have a FREE sample multi-grain chip with humus at Trader Joe's since I was delaying lunch and had several much worse options available.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Kudos for "we're bringing stuff we can eat" to solve the meeting/party problem.

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Hope your mom continues to heal. "Watermelon and fresh picked raspberries" is perfect Fourth of July celebration food.

silverbirch – Yay for sunshine and "time in the garden."

spanky - LOL at "Thunder Shirts for humans" - perhaps Snacking Shirts and Second Helping Shirts as well.

nationalparker – Oh Yes, Kudos for recognizing that you weren't "missing" any meal that needed to be made up.

Beth (bethFromDayton) – Continued Kudos for continued mindfulness at your event.

Readers -  

Drizzly, dreary morning here, which is kind of a funny sign to me since last night I was GUNG HO to get working early today on our landscaping project. I said I was just going to get back to work on it and the design would unfold as I worked. I think this is a sign that would not have worked out for the best/that it would have needed to be redone. Afternoon plans, if the rains continue, is to take a few hours and stroll through our museum of art alone. I have favorite paintings there that call me to come visit :) Also must get the marketing done.

Goal to be at 170.x by today and edge closer to my signature was a positive goal - was 170.6 today having dropped several pounds this week. I realize that I MUST have goals like that - that enabled me to not snack last night more than the thought that I didn't need it, etc.

GardenerJoy - Thanks for the validation on the book. I thought it was way too chemically based in some areas and too general in others. Back to the library with that one. Good luck resisting food you don't want at times that aren't the best for you with your gathering. Good planning!

BillBlueEyes - Good job tackling a project that I would put off until something happened (computer virus software) ... smart choice. I was a fellow Trader Joe's marketer yesterday, as well, and only zipped in for a few things, include the lattemiele biscuits I found there a few weeks ago - and bought a package to take home to my folks. Lightly sweet reminder of Italy. They're not low-calorie, but manageable.

Beth - Keep up the great work. Sounds like you're making SO MANY wiser choices this go-around. You're doing fantastic!

Spanky - Sounds like you're having a productive weekend! That feels wonderful, doesn't it? Credits for your ongoing wise choices!

I started (well, unofficially) the 100 days of weight loss reading and the first thing is to list the 10 reasons why ... so that got me rethinking and redoing my response cards for that. And I included the vain reasons that are more visible than "getting healthier", like getting back to my sexy lingerie, etc. This seems to go hand-in-hand with the same line of thinking with Beck's, just a bit different.

checking in on my challenging "vacation"
 

Coaches

Please give me one of these -->:kickbutt: next year if I plan a vacation in Ottawa. I should be relaxed by now. I am not. I am full of who do I see? who do I need to see? When can i fit them in? What about my mother? When do I see her? And :( it's too bad my siblings and I are estranged--should be easy to see them but can't. And does my SIL *really* not mind us staying this long at her house? Are we clean enough so she doesn't "get it" from her husband who's away but will be back on Thursday? (he's a clean freak-we are not). And then on top of this we are here for a 10 day music festival that requires much of us physically, basically endurance events: standing in place for 3-4 hrs as we wait, then watch the headlining muscial acts surrounded by, oh, tens of thousands of others doing the same, all trying to keep it together in the heat, humdiity and off and on rain. All reminding me that I am OLD-ish vs. the young folks getting high next to me, being drunk near me, hoisting themselves up above and surfing the crowd unless the crowd turns away, like we/they did the other night and the surfer just simply falls down. Then we leave, which takes quite a while to leave the crowd behind let alone negotiate getting the bus--with the thousands doing the same thing. Since we lived here, we know that if we walk about 30min to get to a bus stop 4-5 stops up the line from the mega crowd, we could get a seat. It was worth it for the seat.

Other issues directly related to weight that have come up:
1) buying chairs for the festival. DH got cheap ones for $9, but my first concern/question was "will they hold us?" He wasn't sure.
2) trying to find capris! OMG what is up with the stylists? Am I truly OLD-ish? Really? Everything I tried on was way big in the waist yet tight in my CALVES? Calves? Really? Used to this issue with tall boots, which I haven't ever really worn due to my large calves, but capris? Why are they made to hug us all the way down our legs?? Ended up with 2 skirts from Value Village, used clothes, in good shape, because although I really wanted something new, after visits to 3 stores and trying many things on, nothing fit/fit right. I am grateful I did find 2 skirts.
3) my SIL is really curious about our food. I feel under the microscope in many ways here.

*credit for cooking here from scratch using real food
*credit for planning meals and planning what we will bring to the festival site
*credit for being willing to do this very physically challenging event (the music is worth it though plus the photo-ops and the general experience)
*credit for the desire to have a plan and to stay on that plan

In addition, right before we left, I had to get a prescription refill for my BP meds and had a bad visit. The Dr. was on me about why I am not on cholesterol meds. OMG. He was about to just prescribe something to me and I held him off by telling him I have that big annual medical assessment thing coming up. I haven't scheduled it but I will, for the end of September, giving me a good 2 months plus to get a grip on myself and my food and everything. I so LOATHE my bp meds that another med will just send me around the bend if I don't try to do what I need to do. My goal is to get off meds not add them. He was also supremely unimpressed that I have remained the same weight since January. 254.
Yeah, I know.
What was great last year (down 40+) is no longer cutting it. Just not good enough.
I know.
And to top it off, he tried THREE large size cuffs, none of them worked and so no BP was taken. By the time he was on cuff#3 my BP would have really been skyhigh so I can thank the gods for small mercies.

I do have a few fun things though during my time here, top of which is printing in the print room I belong to. That will be next week. And I may get my hair done by SIL hairdresser who did a fantasic job with her mop!

Must go. Sorry this was so very long.

Enjoy your day.